MUZAFFARGARH, June 12: The nomination of former state minister Engineer Shahid Jameel Qureshi in the first information report of illegal detention of Kafila Siddiqi has stirred the otherwise calm political atmosphere in the district. Politicians say the move just months ahead of general elections heralds the political downfall of Qureshi.

Police registered the FIR against Qureshi in the death of Canadian citizen Kafila Siddiqi with whom he had been sharing her house since 2005.

Reacting to Qureshi’s nomination in the FIR, Pakistan Democratic Party President Nawabzada Mansoor Khan said the nomination of a cabinet member in the FIR showed the whole cabinet consisted of `murderers’. He said the government would try to save the skin of his minister but the public of Muzaffargarh would not spare the accused. He said he would like to see his brothers back in the PDP who had ditched him and joined the PML. He said the ruling party would be defeated in the next elections.

Qureshi who was made to resign on Tuesday won the National Assembly seat from the constituency of the late Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan in the 2002 general elections.

Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan could not take part in the elections and fielded his son, Nawabzada Iftikhar Khan, who is now in the PML fold. New entrant Qureshi won the seat because of the support from Amjad Hameed Dasti and Qaswar Langrial, both members of the provincial assembly.

MPA Qaswar Langrial said the case of Kafila Siddiqi would prove another Bob Woolmer case. He said much hype was created in the death of Pakistani Cricket Coach Bob Woolmer but at the end his death was declared natural. He said let us wait for the chemical report of the deceased woman and if the minister was found guilty of killing her, he would have no place in local politics.

The brother of Shahid Jameel Qureshi, Dr Tanveer Qureshi, who deals with all kind of political and public dealings on behalf of Qureshi, was not available for comments. Dr Tanveer is the deputy medical superintendent at the Muzaffargarh District Headquarters Hospital. In 2006, when Law Minister Basharat Raja came to Muzaffargarh to win support of union council nazims against District Nazim Sardar Qayyum Jatoi, then at a meeting at Tulheeri Rest House where all MPAs and MNAs of the district were present, Dr Tanveer represented his minister brother.

Engineer Qureshi remained aloof with the public of his constituency. Whenever he came to Muzaffargarh, would meet a select group of people. He reportedly wanted to win the next election for his role in the construction of new Chenab River Bridge for which he had arranged funds as communications minister.

But after his nomination in the FIR, it is likely that Nawabzada Iftikhar and Nawabzada Israr Khan would get the PML ticket from the constituency.